Moreno's 36-Yard Field Goal Lifts Pride Past No. 23 Baker
BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – For the first time in program history, Clarke has won three games in a season and defeated a ranked opponent after Victor Moreno's 36-yard field goal gave the Pride a program-defining 20-19 victory over the No. 23 Baker Wildcats on Saturday.
The win is the first for Clarke over Baker and gave head coach Miguel Regalado and quarterback Brandon Mueller a victory over their former program.
CU (3-2) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead when Moreno connected on his first field goal of 26 yards on the game's first drive. Baker (2-3) started off slow, going three-and-out on its first two possessions. The slow start allowed the Pride to go up double-digits after Mueller found Gabe Deadwiler for a 16-yard score with 1:48 left in the opening quarter.
The Wildcats responded early in the second quarter with a rushing touchdown to cut the deficit to three. Both offenses struggled to move the ball much over the remainder of the half before Baker knotted things up with a 25-yard field goal right before halftime.
Clarke had the second drive of the third quarter start on its own five-yard line and quickly found itself in a sticky situation when Mueller was sacked for a loss of six at the Pride's three-yard line. On the following play, Ben Jaeger had his punt attempt blocked into the end zone but was able to fall on it to prevent a defensive touchdown. The play, however, resulted in a safety and gave the Wildcats the lead for the first time all game.
Baker went and capitalized on the momentum, scoring a touchdown off an eight-yard pass to go up 19-10 with 22 seconds remaining in the third frame.
The Pride struggled to move the ball over the early portions of the fourth quarter, resulting in punts on three-straight drives. Linebacker Bryan Valdes made the play of the game when he undercut a Widcat receiver's route, picking off the ball and returning it 26 yards to the Baker nine-yard line.
After an incompletion to start the drive, Clarke moved into the wildcat formation with running back Craig Elmore set in shotgun. Elmore received the snap, faked right, and tossed a pass to a wide-open Cal Bennet, giving the sophomore tight end his first career score and bringing the deficit to two after Moreno's extra point.
After a three-and-out from Baker on the next drive, Clarke seemed to have momentum in its favor before Mueller was intercepted at the Pride 36-yard line. Clarke's defense held its own and forced a punt that went through the end zone for a touchback.
With 3:57 to play, Clarke began its drive with Mueller taking an eight-yard sack. On the following play, Mueller took a hit that was called for a roughing the passer penalty, giving Clarke a fresh set of downs. Mueller then found Caden Miller and Anthony King for gains of 12 and 13 yards to get to the Baker 37-yard line.
Mueller took off and rushed for 17-yards on the following play, setting Clarke up with first and ten on the Baker 20-yard line with under a minute to play. After losing five yards on a sack, Mueller found Jaquan Graham for a six-yard completion that set Moreno up for his game-winning kick.
Mueller finished the game 20-of-37 for 171 yards. Jaden Wyer had three catches for 43 yards, while Deadwiler had three receptions for 41. Defensively, Valdes was all over the field and led the team with 12 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and the game-changing interception. Griffin Mulcahy was second on the team with seven tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Up next, Clarke will host MidAmerica Nazarene for homecoming next week on Saturday, Oct. 1. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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